Magnificent Ornk Dikiyoba Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I've decided to attempt a torment challenge by taking Thuryl's no-magic shock trooper one step further and banning useable items that function as spells. So no food, pods, spores, wands, or crystals. Item enchancements, crafting equipment, and recruitable allies are okay. I'll also be using a maximum of four canisters, because I suspect I'll need an ur-drakon. I'm also attempting to make sure every creation I make survives, but if I start running into trouble, that's the rule that goes. I actually attempted it previously and didn't have any real problems in the first three chapters, but I made a few mistakes that made it break down pretty quickly in chapter four. --- Chapter 1 Picture 1 Yay for ridiculous and unneccessary graphic mods! Picture 2 Bringing my leadership and mechanics up to four let me do everything important in Southforge. Quite a few locks had to remain unpicked, but I'll get them soon enough. Then I bought two levels of create fyora from Jared, raised my fire shaping to eight and created a cryoa named Avalanche. I could have raised intelligence enough to get a second cryoa instead, but I figured that the extra levels would be more important in the long run. Now to go adventure! Clearing the Citadel Gates was easy, but I couldn't send the thahds up the north road afterwards. I already miss the high leadership and mechanics I usually have. Crenshaw's Dell was easy too as long as I avoided the swarms and Tycho went down swiftly. Plus, a thahdskin tunic. Hooray! I cleared Shardfield, then increased my intelligence by two and my fire shaping by one. My second cryoa Blizzard comes into existance, just 500 experience below Avalanche. So far, so good. Also, a lucky fyoraskin cloak drop. Things were pretty uneventful from there. There was a lot of running around as I ran into mines and locks I didn't have enough mechanics to clear, then gained a level, raised mechanics, and came back to clear stuff. I helped Serif and didn't turn in Burkes. I wasn't sure about the Dumping Pits, but I tried it anyway. It was manageable, but barely. The spinecores were a problem. They killed someone if they got a chance to act, so it was a matter of me positioning myself to melee them (I didn't have the steel broadsword yet, so I had to make due with the stunning blade) without getting in range of the next one and praying that all three attacks hit. I managed to make it to the healing pool with a mere three health. Next, I intimidated Thell, killed Yves, and claimed my rewards. The spores won't do me any good, but I do need that steel sword and shield. I also bought living tools from Masha. I'll be buying them on sight from now on. After that, I sneaked into Shaila's lair and stole all her stuff. Next, it was time to face her directly. I returned to Southforge to grab Greenfang, then walked through Shaila's front door. Picture 3 My, my, don't you look insidious today? Greenfang is useless against Shaila's summoned creations, but we don't actually need him. He's just here to be rejoined with his long-lost master. We tell Shaila about the Shaper's offer, then we walk her to the docks. Greenfang's useless in that battle too. Then he leaves us to face an unknown fate. Probably a bad one, but maybe not. I report my success to both the General and Greta. Current Stats Current Inventory Now I'm ready to help the caravan. I've got a venom baton in my stash I should really switch over too. Regular thorns just won't cut it any more. Nine leadership is enough for the rest of the game. I'd like twelve mechanics eventually, but for now I need to worry about intelligence and magic shaping. I want two vlish as soon as possible and as high level as possible. The only things Dikiyoba hasn't done yet are to kill Burkes' crazed drayk, loot the blood poison and the goodies near the damaging area from the Dumping Pits, and untrapped Jared's boxes. Dikiyoba hopes to be back for those soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Micawber Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Bah, that's not a challenge. To make it harder, I vote you try it without levelling up I love the boat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Randomizer Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 The Dumping Pit is easier with high endurance to increase poison resistance. Thorn batons don't do as much damage as javelins, but are a holdover from earlier games. Just sell them. Having low mechanics hurts you on getting easy XP early in the game. All you need is 10 by chapter 3 since you can get the Tinker item for to get 12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Dikiyoba Posted June 15, 2008 Author Share Posted June 15, 2008 The missed experience doesn't seem too terrible. Mines and locks were still worth 20, 30 XP apiece by the time I got to them. I didn't do the north road thahds until much later and it was still worth 90 XP. Dikiyoba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Micawber Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 So how's it going, Dikiyoba? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Dikiyoba Posted June 28, 2008 Author Share Posted June 28, 2008 Chapter 2 Picture 4 It's a good thing he's drunk and stupid... After helping the caravan, I show my pass to Rutenburg, then head straight for Dillame. There, I get Alwan's safehouse quest (telling him about my mission in the process), a ring of puresteel, and two levels of create vlish from Duncan. I also chat with Drewry to get his quest, then betray him. He dies anyway if you don't turn him in, so I don't feel too bad about it. Next, I head straight for the Safehouse, running through Uchitelle's Grove and the Secured Crossroads as quick as I can. I turn in the puresteel to gain access to a vlish canister. Only then do I realize that I don't have enough essence for two vlish and my girdle of intelligence is back in Southforge. Whoops. I decide it's not worth going back across the Crossroads, given that it's only worth one point in magic shaping. But at only 5 points of magic shaping, Delicious and Nutritious are seven levels below Avalanche and Blizzard, and not going to be as superior as I'd hoped. Picture 5 Time to go kill stuff! I clear the Crossroads, letting Sandia go free along the way. Then I clear the mine (the parasitic shade isn't difficult with four creations to help out) and help Uchitelle with his spawner. I switch over to the girdle of endurance, buy a runed amethyst for my sword, and go back to kill the drayk at Chickweed. I get the repair Moseh quest from Alwan without turning in the Safehouse and try something a little different than usual--complete the Barrier Zone first. Along the way, I clear Purity Workshop B and get the skein of wisdom and tinker's gloves. Picture 6 There are no problems as I help Eliza and Shaftoe except for an odd glitch with Mystithus. But in the end, he dies and drops an infiltrator cloak, so I'm happy. It was a very close call getting the items out of the chest the thahd in Eliza's Bunker was guarding, though. By now, I have enough skill points to get ten mechanics. I grab the infiltrator tunic, girdle of genius, and blood poison. Next, I face Moseh. I do have enough leadership to repair him without having to fight him--but that's anticlimatic, and also worth less XP. So I have Habeck turn off Moseh's power and recruit the battle alphas to help me beat Moseh into submission. I report the deed to Alwan (netting two of Mouawad's rewards along the way) and Pirik. Picture 7 Most of the other zones in the chapter are easy. I convince the thahds on the West Road to let me by, help the serviles escape, then kill the thahds. The Pikkary bandits go down no problem by retreating just out of sight and letting them come to me in small groups. I lose a rebel or two in Rocky Point, but the rest escape. The Circle of the Drayk is disappointingly easy. The drayk died in two rounds, and none of the serviles gave experience. I tell Reiner to go free. I scouted Turabi Gate and delivered Drex's letter, but otherwise left it alone. The respawning guards still act before I do, and there's no way to slip past all the guards and turrets unhasted, so I'll have to come back later. Now it's on to the fens. There's still a fair amount left to do in Illya, though. I've been saving up opinions for later, and spared Eliza, Shaftoe, and the loyalist camp in Dillame Fields for now. The enemies in the western shaft of Sandros Mine, the creations left in the Barrier Zone, the Eastern Checkpoint, and Turabi Gate will all have to wait until I get wingbolts. Stats Inventory As you can see, I've got a lot of unused skill points. Intelligence, a little bit more magic shaping, and then probably missile weapons or endurance. I'm still using my girdle of endurance instead of genius too, given that my creations only need mental resistance whenever their health gets too low. Dikiyoba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Delicious Vlish Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I LOL'ed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Micawber Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Cool vlish names, there. My Avernum party currently sports names inspired by Wimbledon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrulous Glaahk Shaper Anton Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 hehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrulous Glaahk Shaper Anton Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 btw, how do you change your character sprites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unflappable Drayk John S Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Replace the sprites that the game uses with custom sprites. Or change the sprites which the game uses by editing the game data. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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